Recap: Rhode Island vs. Richmond

Kingston, RI (SportsNetwork.com) - E.C. Matthews led the way with a game-high 19 points as the Rhode Island Rams defeated the Richmond Spiders, 66-43, in an Atlantic 10 bout at the Thomas M. Ryan Center.

Two Rams (13-17, 4-11 A-10) contributed double-doubles in the win, with Gilvydas Biruta scoring 13 and pulling down 10 rebounds and Hassan Martin adding 10 points and 13 rebounds. Xavier Munford chipped in with 15 points in the win and reached 1,000 points faster than any player in Rhode Island history.

For the Spiders (18-11, 8-6), who set a new low in single-game points this season (formerly 57), Terry Allen was the lone player in double-figures, scoring 15.

Richmond was awful from the field to start the game, shooting just 19.2 percent from the field and missing all but one of its nine 3-point tries. Rhode Island hit on a respectable 45.5 percent of its field goal tries, but also struggled from deep, shooting 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. Richmond led 9-6 with just over four minutes gone in the first half, but the Rams closed the half on a 25-6 run to head to the break with a 31-15 advantage.

After halftime, the Spiders were little improved, making a woeful 22.6 percent of their shots from the field, including 1-of-10 from deep. The Rams stayed steady, making 46.9 percent of their field goal attempts but again couldn't hit consistently from long-range, missing on five of their six 3-point tries. The Rams extended their lead in the second half and coasted to the easy victory.

Rhode Island completely dominated the paint, outscoring Richmond by a whopping 42-16 margin. The teams combined to make just four of their 32 3-point tries in the game.